Diversity and Inclusion: My thoughts and reflections

When I started my career in 1989 working for Lenovo in China I was part of a world that felt exciting, inclusive, and charged with a sense of positive global change. In those nearly 30 years, the world and global business have evolved beyond all recognition; global powerhouses have changed; major companies have come and gone; and the challenges and opportunities business leaders face every day have transformed.

In a time of great global transformation and uncertainty it’s right that we reflect on what it means to both be and succeed as a global business today. At its core, global means being diverse and inclusive – being able to stretch and adapt to the values, policies, and culture of the countries where we do business; to look like, sound like, and reflect our entire customer base no matter where they are; and to understand the role we can play in a world where artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive a greater and more inclusive society for all.

Indeed, Lenovo is no stranger to the concept of diversity and inclusion (D&I). It’s what our business has been built on – from an initial idea in 1986 to create a circuit board that would open up China to the world of PCs by enabling IBM PCs to process Chinese characters, to how diversity inspires the depth and breadth of every product we make, every solution we provide, and every customer our 54,000 employees across more than 160 markets serve. But most of all, it has been the force and raison d’etre behind Lenovo’s global expansion, and in a flatter and more dynamic world, the cornerstone of our business.

This, our first Diversity and Inclusion Report, is just the starting point to share the continued way we move D&I forward across our employees, suppliers, communities, and marketplace – from equal opportunity in hiring to efforts to achieve more gender balance in leadership positions.

But our intent is much bigger than just that. It’s about transformation. By this I mean we are continually and consciously building a culture that welcomes all people equally and products that democratize access to information and opportunities for all.

The job of building a truly diverse and inclusive company is never done. It’s something I’m personally committed to driving and something I expect every member of the immediate and extended Lenovo family to drive as well. This report marks the common values that all of us at Lenovo share, the progress we have made, and the ambitions that we have for our future as the archetypal global company.

Read our full diversity and inclusion report here.